Anyone Going To Be Buying 2009 Barolo?

WINE TALK
1

I saw Ratti’s Marcenasco 2009 on the shelf today, so they are going to be making their way down the pipeline. I’m wondering what regular purchasers of Barolo think about the vintage and how deep their purchasing will be. Thanks.

2

This question is like asking “Does a fish swim?” Of course! B&B’s every year!

3

I just came back from Piedmont, the producers I spoke with were not overly enthusiastic about 2009. Personally, I’ll keep buying 2008 and save my money for the 2010’s. Conterno Cascia Francia 2010 tasted from barrel will be spectacular.

4

+1 Im only buying limited barolo, like mixing a couple of cases now and then. I will do a few cases of 08 and 10, likely skipping 09 completely. Its a matter of preference though, if my total purchase of barolo the next two years was 10-12 cases, i would put in 1-2 from the 09 vintage

5

I don’t buy every year and probably won’t buy much in 09. I will wait for 10. That said, if there are some great deals, then I will consider it.

6

Shallow to none…

7

If the price is right and the producer is good . . . I picked up some Giacosa Rocche and some Burlotto Monvigliero. I will try to resist much else.

8

Wine Enthusiast Magazine vintage chart gives 2009 Barolo 94 points. 08 and 10 get only 92 points.

Ebob’s chart gives 09 a 90I. And 08 is a 93T.

Other search hits on 2009 Barolo, from reading reports instead of chart and points, say its a ripe vintage.

I’m very new to Piedmont and Nebbiolo but becoming very interested and read all posts like this. Mostly lurking.

I have 09 and 10 Vietti Perbacco and I can see more ripeness in 09. I assume the Perbacco is a pretty decent indicator of Barolo.

But being new to collecting this amazing varietal I am open to picking up some riper wines so I have something to enjoy early. I would not being buying $150 wines from a ripe vintage. But under $40? But then again I can get Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco for $40.

I need to taste more, but at this point I feel I can stomach a ripe Nebbiolo much better than say a ripe Grenache based S. Rhone.

9

I think your approach makes a lot of sense when you’re new to nebbiolo. With time maybe you’ll become a masochist and prefer vintages with enamel-stripping acidity and tannins that would soften cowhide… like some of us.

I think 09 may be a good bet for the lesser wines, in particular, like Perbacco. A little extra ripeness can benefit them more than the top bottlings.

10

I’m still cherry picking 08s and will buy few if any 09s. If I want a drink now Barolo, I’ll pull a 97-01 out of my cellar!

11

Actually, I love that sensation. I doubt I’ve tasted anything extreme in that way yet, but I have some experience with it and it’s pretty cool. Not that I’d open up a $200 new release super tannic bottle just for enamel related thrills.

12

This has all been said, but I’ll reiterate.

I’m pretty new to collecting B&B, but I’m going extremely light on '09 because I went pretty deep on '08 and expect to do the same with '10. I’m young still, and am buying these wines with the expectation of letting them age for quite a while. I’ll probably be buying some of the lower end Langhe Nebbiolos and things like that for early drinking.

13

I’m right there with Ken on the Burlotto Monvigliero. Other than that, Vietti Rocche.

14

It still comes back to a wine by wine basis.
To be systematically dismissive of an entire vintage without tasting (as I don’t see folks talking about specific wines, rather vague characterizations) is a disservice.
As an aside, it is a season marked more by drought than heat,as Giuliano Corino corrected me.
There are some fantastic wines from '09…

15

Robert, you can always resort to the wine-by-wine analysis and reject blanket assertions, but that does little to guide serious buying, and I am not sure that there is any disservice here, especially in the wake of a long string of strong vintages, with many exceptional, classic wines to be found along the way. I was here for the duration, and in 2009, experienced the worst heat and drought since 2003 (the worst European summer in 200 years). (I conducted a large-scale vegetable gardening project, and spent the entire summer with a garden hose in my hand or in the pool. It was so hot that my Silver Queen corn harvest lasted about 36 hours before the corn exploded.) If you like fat, ripe (perhaps overripe) wines, such as were found in Bordeaux, Burgundy and elsewhere, it could be your year. Personally, I do not drink 15% alcohol first-growth Bordeaux or fruit-forward, instant gratification grand cru Burgundy, and I do not want the equivalent in nebbiolo. That, of course, is a matter of personal preference. A friend who makes his own Barbera in a strictly non-interventionist manner and usually ends up with lighter, food-friendly wines in the 11-13% range produced a unprecedented 2009 wine that weighed in on the long side of 17% WITH RESIDUAL SUGAR and was served as dessert. 1997 and 2003 were lousy years for nebbiolo. Aside from Giacosa’s wines, 2000 was only a shade better on average. 2009 was only slightly cooler than 2003 and much worse than 1997 and 2000. There may be some tasty wines, as you suggest, especially for those that prefer the Parker style to the classic style. I just would not load up on 2009s unless that is so. Personally, I am with William, Lord Boykin, but on the “none” end of the pool. Will probably try a few in ristoranti, trattorie and osterie, as I did with the 2003s, where I expect to find some attractive prices. In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I am in my early 60s and have a cellar full of old, ready-to-drink Baroli and Barbareschi, so if 2009 had been the new 1971, 1978 or 1989, I would not be a buyer anyway. However, I would advise the young collectors among us to be discriminating. It does not seem that global warming will end any time soon, and there will be no shortage of fine Piemontese wines, regardless of your stylistic preferences, so you can afford to thumb your nose at vintages that are not optimal for your purposes. There are not many starving winemakers in these parts, either, despite frequent gluts of wine in recent years…

16

None for me. Loading up on 2008s and looking forward to 2010s…

17

Went fairly strong with 08s,but aside from the aforementioned Burlotto and possibly some Bartolo,I’m with Conte Klapp.

18

I like to refer to myself as the Romaine della Domini Conte Klapp…

19

Lettuce all praise the Romaine! [worship.gif]

20

Bought Giuseppe Rinaldi’s two Baroli (and already tried them - wonderful wines) - buy them each year. Will also buy a couple of 2009 Cascina Francia when they are released later this year. That’s it for me in 2009.

[cheers.gif] Andreas